PUBG likely to return in new avatar as Battlegrounds Mobile India

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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PUBG Mobile India is soon expected to be launched as Battlegrounds Mobile India, according to a post by the company on its Facebook page. The company has already changed its name to Battlegrounds Mobile India on its official Facebook page and YouTube channel. The development has brought cheer among gaming enthusiasts in India. However, the launch timeline has not been revealed yet.

In fact, Krafton, the developers of PUBG Mobile, had recently dropped the PUBG Mobile India official teaser video but the clip was deleted minutes after being put online. 

The PUBG Corporation has also listed multiple vacancies in India, triggering speculations of the game’s comeback. Besides, the game developer has announced plans to make investments to the tune of $100 million in India.

The company has said that the investment would be made with an aim to ‘cultivate the local video game, e-sports, entertainment and IT industries.’

Company officials also assured that they would maximise data security for its users while adhering to Indian regulations.

According to a claim by GemWire, a gaming and e-sports news platform, Krafton has even registered a domain, battlegroundsmobileindia.in, in India on April 7.  

The Indian government banned PUBG among other Chinese apps under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act in the wake of the tensions with China along the border in Ladakh last year.

The government had stated that these apps engaged in activities ‘prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity, defence and security of the country’ and hence, were being banned.

However, union minister Prakash Javadekar, earlier this year, said that PUBG is one of the games which are ‘violent, explicit, addictive, and tend to create a complex in the mind of children.’

Meanwhile, Krafton officials are said to be in talks with Indian officials to re-launch its most popular game in India.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Earnings downgrades may pick up if COVID situation continues: IIFL’s GV Giri

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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IIFL says the upgrade momentum of FY22 has slowed down. CNBC-TV18 spoke to GV Giri, Head-Research at IIFL institutional equities to discuss key risks and the outlook for the market.

On earnings downgrades, Giri said, “We have seen downgrades in April particularly in few sectors which have we might have re-associated with re-opening. We have seen downgrades in discretionary, we have seen downgrades in business services, we have seen retail, travel and leisure of course. We have also seen some small downgrades in FMCG also. We have only seen upgrades in healthcare, IT, and that has been the broad story. “

He added, “Not too much movement at this point in private banks and PSU banks because I think the numbers are yet to come if the tight conditions on economic activity continue for the next two months, we will probably see some more softening in banks earnings numbers. So at this point aggregating everything we reached the conclusion that the only bright spot has been metals.”

He also said, “If the current conditions continue for a month we will see more downgrades.”

On the COVID situation, Giri said, “If we are unable to control the generation of these variants and the spread of the existing variants then it is difficult to say how long these restrictions will last. There is a risk that the economic pessimism of last year repeats for 2-3 months and this may not go away that quickly.”

“I am still hopeful that by the end of the quarter, by the end of June we should probably have something to look forward to in terms of the economy getting back to the normal.”

He added that one might see a rush back into equities if the wave comes under control but at this point, the existing data doesn’t let us confidently predict how long that will take.

For the full interview, watch the accompanying video

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Zomato emerges most trusted brand during pandemic: Survey

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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As India grapples with the raging pandemic amid seismic shifts in consumer behaviour, a new survey on Tuesday said that Zomato has emerged as the most trusted brand, followed by Amazon Prime Video and Amazon marketplace, in the country.

Over the course of the pandemic year, consumers prioritised online food delivery, pharmacy, entertainment, digital payments and OTT, among others, according to market research firm CMR’s ‘Alpha Brands 2021′ listing.

“As a consequence of the pandemic, brands that have been able to consistently deliver across all consumer-facing touchpoints win big. In the better normal, brands would need to integrate and be indispensable in every aspect of consumer lives,” said Satya Mohanty, Head-Industry Consulting Group, CMR.

Zomato was followed by Swiggy at a distant second position. Through the course of the pandemic, Zomato trumped Swiggy both in terms of consumer satisfaction (81%), and in consumer advocacy (53%), according to the survey.

The Alpha Brands were chosen on basis of their performance across four parameters: brand’s users, key decision-makers, user satisfaction, and net promoter score (NPS). The overall brand quotient was arrived at on the basis of consumer satisfaction and brand advocacy, the CMR said.

Even prior to, and during the pandemic, Big Basket was the most used brand in online grocery (62%), followed by Amazon Fresh (58%). In terms of consumer advocacy, Amazon Fresh (25%) trumped the competition.

Amazon and Flipkart continued to be locked in the e-commerce battle. Amazon led the eCommerce market in terms of brand users (78%), and customer satisfaction (72%) and net promoter score (36%).

Amazon PrimeVideo has the most satisfied consumers (81%), followed by Disney+Hotstar (73%) and Netflix (67%). Between the pre-pandemic (before March 2020) and post-pandemic period (post-March 2020), Netflix registered 14% growth in terms of new subscribers, the survey noted.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Gold prices below Rs 47,500 per 10 grams; silver ebbs too

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Gold prices traded lower on Tuesday as investor sentiment in the commodity markets remained subdued as a strong dollar and Federal Reserve Jerome Powell’s comments on stronger US economic growth weighed on bullion. Silver prices also ebbed lower.

At 12:25 pm, the gold futures for June delivery traded 0.41 percent lower to Rs 47,125 per 10 grams as against the previous close of Rs 47,319 and the opening price of Rs 47,226 on the MCX.

Silver futures traded 0.33 percent higher at Rs 70,519 per kg. The prices opened at Rs 70,611 as compared to the previous close of Rs 70,900 per kg.

International gold prices retreated from a more than two-month high on Tuesday. Per a Reuters report, the metal slipped due to an uptick in the dollar, although weaker-than-expected US economy data stoked concerns over recovery.

Spot gold was down 0.2 percent at $1,788.89 per ounce, US gold futures fell 0.1 percent to $1,789.40 per ounce.

The dollar index rose 0.2 percent against its rivals, making gold less attractive for other currency holders.

In currency markets, the Indian rupee advanced 14 paise to 73.81 per dollar on Tuesday, reflecting a rise of 14 paise over its last close, as a positive trend in equity markets lifted investor sentiment.

(Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on CNBCTV18.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. CNBCTV18.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.)

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

L&T Technology dips over 8% despite decent Q4 results

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Shares of L&T Technology Services dropped over 8 percent to hit a low of Rs 2,557.80 on Tuesday even after the company reported a consolidated profit of Rs 204.8 crore for Q4FY21, against Rs 186.1 crore a quarter ago.

L&T Technology shares fell as much as 8.47 percent to Rs 2,560 apiece intraday on BSE. On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the company’s shares declined to as much as Rs 2,557.80 apiece, down 8.56 percent.

At 1:33 pm, L&T Technology shares traded 7.14 percent lower at Rs 2,597.15 apiece on the BSE. The benchmark Sensex index was 0.08 percent down at that time.

Market breadth was mostly neutral with 1,524 stocks trading higher on the BSE against 1,314 moving lower. On the NSE, 986 shares advanced while 861 declined.

L&T Technology Services Q4FY21 was a mild miss on the revenue front but margins came in little above estimates. The company has given a revenue guidance of 13-15 percent for FY22.

Catch all market related updates here

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

BMC starts drive-in vaccination centre in Mumbai

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Mumbai civic body on Tuesday started the city’s first drive-in vaccination centre where specially-abled people and senior citizens will not have to stand in a queue and they will be administered the COVID-19 vaccine doses in their own vehicles, officials said.

The facility has been set up in a public parking lot at the Kohinoor tower in Dadar area for inoculating people above the age of 45 years, a senior official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

After the inauguration of the facility, the first vaccine dose was administered to a beneficiary in his car at around 10 am, the official said. ”The drive-in vaccination centre, set up by the BMC’s G-North ward, has been started for specially-abled people aged above 45 years and senior citizens who have mobility issues,” the official said, adding that the facility has seven rooms.

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The BMC has set up over 135 vaccination centres across Mumbai since the inoculation drive began on January 16 this year. Till Monday evening, a total 24,59,883 vaccine doses were administered to eligible beneficiaries in the city, according to the BMC.

Follow our LIVE COVID-19 blog for the latest

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

COVID crisis: Delhi govt to provide financial aid to auto, taxi drivers; free ration

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced that the Delhi government will provide free ration to 72 lakh ration cardholders in the city for the next two months and financial assistance of Rs 5,000 to auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers to help people tide over the COVID-19 crisis. However, he said, this does not mean that the lockdown imposed in the national capital to break the chain of transmission will last for two months.

Kejriwal said he hoped the situation in Delhi will improve and lockdown will not be needed. The Delhi government provided financial assistance of Rs 5,000 to each of 1.56 lakh auto and taxi drivers during last year’s lockdown and will do so again to help them, Kejriwal said.

The national capital is under lockdown till May 10 due to a steep rise in number of COVID-19 cases.

Follow our LIVE COVID-19 blog for the latest

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Pfizer seeks expedited approval pathway for its COVID-19 vaccine in India

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc has once again pushed for emergency use approval in India claiming its COVID-19 vaccine is safe, according to a Reuters report.

This comes after Pfizer withdrew its application in February this year over India’s rule mandating drug makers to conduct local clinical trials. This time, the company is seeking an ‘expedited approval pathway’ for its vaccine usage in India. 

“Pfizer is aware that access to vaccines is critical to ending this pandemic. Unfortunately, our vaccine is not registered in India although our application was submitted months ago. We are currently discussing with the Indian government an expedited approval pathway to make our Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine available for use in the country,” the company’s chairman and CEO Albert Bourla wrote to Pfizer’s India employees in a letter, which was shared on social media platform LinkedIn.

Meanwhile, the Indian government, according to the report, stands by its guidelines asking foreign firms to conduct domestic trials. In fact, the Centre had relaxed norms for foreign vaccine makers in mid-April stating that they won’t need to conduct all phases of the trial for getting the approval but a local clinical trial is necessary.

It is worth mentioning that the central government, amid spiralling cases of Covid-19 in the country, has invited applications from Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna Inc.  

The Pfizer vaccine — currently approved in more than 80 countries — needs to be taken in two doses at a gap of 21 days. Its vials have to be stored at a temperature of -70 degree Centigrade.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and World Health Organization (WHO) had authorized the Pfizer vaccine for emergency use in individuals aged 16 years and older in December 2020.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow